One of the downsides to being the child of an editor is that your grammar is often corrected. A common correction I make is my children’s use of the word “much”. Here are some examples that show you how my children (especially the younger ones) use “much”:
Category: Grammar
World War II or World War 2?
Earlier this month, while editing a document for a client, I came across the following phrase: World War 2 I immediately flagged it for the client, recommending that they change it to “World War II”. Here’s why. When we need to indicate that a proper noun is part of a series, we use roman numerals… Continue reading World War II or World War 2?
Your English teacher lied to you: 5 grammar rules that are made up
We all grew up learning certain language rules, but what you may not know is that some of the rules you learned were wrong.
Using “like” to introduce clauses: another myth busted
If you’ve hung out with grammar snobs for a long enough time, you’ve probably come across a rule that goes something like: you must use “like” when comparing nouns and “as” when comparing clauses. For example: Siobhán looks like her big sister Aisling. It snowed overnight, as I said it would. This rule is based… Continue reading Using “like” to introduce clauses: another myth busted
Difference between humility and humbleness
Last week, I was reading through the local newspaper when I came across a word that stopped me in my tracks: humbleness. As someone who regularly attends Christian church services, I’ve heard my fair share of people using “humblenss”, and every time I do, I am left wondering, “Why don’t you just use humility?” So, I… Continue reading Difference between humility and humbleness
How to properly wish someone a happy birthday
A couple of weeks ago, I celebrated my 42nd birthday. As usual, I received hundreds of wishes through LinkedIn, Facebook, and various other social media sites and newsletters. One thing I noticed is how people write “happy birthday” varies. A common method was “Happy Birthday Kim”. In extending a grammatically correct birthday greeting, there are 3 things… Continue reading How to properly wish someone a happy birthday
Stop teasing people with your garden path sentences
A garden path sentence leads a reader to interpret it one way only to learn later that the interpretation was incorrect. In other words, you teased them. For example, take the following sentence: Fat people eat accumulates.
Should we eliminate “that” from our writing?
A few years ago, I was discussing the difference between “that” and “which” with some colleagues. Specifically, we were discussing how to use them in restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. One of my colleagues commented that he heard a grammarian once say that if you eliminated “that” from your vocabulary, you’d eliminate most poor writing. Someone… Continue reading Should we eliminate “that” from our writing?
Difference between lightening and lightning
Last week, a photo popped up on my Facebook feed with the following caption: Sitting beside the ocean listening to the waves and watching the lightening. It prompted me to write this blog post about the difference between lightening (which the author used) and lightning (which the author meant).
You can’t change the risk of death
Last week, a health story broke in the mainstream media regarding trans fats. I normally wouldn’t discuss health topics on here, but the phrasing the media has been using has troubled me.